


Stretched Threadbare

by hutchabelle



Category: The Hunger Games (Movies)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-05
Updated: 2016-09-09
Packaged: 2018-05-31 08:51:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,946
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6463720
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hutchabelle/pseuds/hutchabelle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prompt 3: One walks in on the other in a “compromising” position (could be completely innocent and seem like it’s not at first).</p><p>Summary: Peeta can’t understand his girlfriend’s distance until he catches her under another man. Katniss says it’s not what it looks like, but is she telling the truth?</p><p>Notes: Thanks to @booksrockmyface for the prompt. I knew immediately what I wanted the compromising position to be, but it took me a while longer to develop the story around it. I hope you enjoy my take on compromised!Everlark.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [booksrockmyface](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=booksrockmyface).



“Can you please move, Peeta? I’m going to be late for work if I don’t get out of here soon,” Katniss snapped at her boyfriend. “Why aren’t you gone yet, anyway?”

Peeta’s blue eyes shuttered, but not before reflecting quick flashes of both hurt and anger. With deliberate calm, he blew on his coffee before taking a sip and replied, “I just wanted to be with you this morning—see if I could slow you down or something. I seem to be really good at that.”

“Just stop,” she retorted. “I don’t have the energy to fight you right now.”

Peeta observed the slump of his girlfriend’s shoulders and resisted the urge to reach out to her. They hadn’t been intimate for two weeks, and every attempt he’d made to comfort her resulted in her jerking away from his touch. He knew he was acting like a wounded teenager instead of the thirty-something professional he was, but he couldn’t seem to help himself. Katniss’ emotional distance over the past few weeks hurt and scared him more than he wanted to admit.

“What’s happening to us, Kat? Please talk to me.” He winced at how wistful he sounded. He shouldn’t have to beg the woman he’d been with for half a decade to share her thoughts with him.

She pursed her lips and refused to meet his gaze as she waited for the last drops of coffee to fill her travel mug. “You’re home late today. I’ll save you some dinner. Have a good day.” With that, she swept from the room, and Peeta was left with a pit in his stomach as empty as their two bedroom apartment.

“Dammit!” he muttered and slammed his mug down on the counter. The hot liquid sloshed over the sides and spilled onto his hand, and he spewed more expletives as the coffee seared his flesh. Frustrated tears pricked his eyes as cold water from the running faucet soothed the burn. A sharp knock on the door reverberated through the apartment, and Peeta yelled for the caller to enter.

“Hey, Peet! You ready to go? Uh oh… You look terrible. What happened?” Peeta’s co-worker, Finnick Odair, asked.

“I don’t want to talk about it, Finn.”

Finnick’s green eyes softened and the mischief in them faded as he took in his friend’s distress. “I’m sure you don’t, but maybe it’d be a good idea to get it off your chest. Things haven’t gotten any better with Katniss?”

Peeta heaved a massive sigh as he rinsed his coffee cup and wiped up his spilled drink. “Nothing’s gotten better, no. In fact, this is the coldest she’s ever been to me, and I have no idea why. She won’t talk to me. She won’t let me touch her. We haven’t…done anything for a while. I’m so damned frustrated I don’t know what to do.”

“She loves you. You know that, Peeta. You’ve just got to figure out a way to get through this rough patch.”

“Does she, though? Does she still?” Peeta asked. “Maybe she’s changed her mind. Maybe she fell out of love after—” His voice cracked, and he stopped talking so he wouldn’t start crying. “I don’t know what I’d do without her.”

Finnick clasped his friend on the shoulder and nudged him gently. “I know, man. I know. It’s going to be okay. I know it will. In the meantime, we need to get to work. Hundreds of sick people are waiting for our cheerful, charming faces. Good choice on the blue scrubs today. They really bring out your eyes.”

“Smart ass,” Peeta chuckled wryly and grabbed his wallet and keys. His job called. He’d have to figure out what was wrong with Katniss later.

****

“Mrs. Seeder! Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes,” Peeta said in greeting to his patient as he entered the hospital room. “You’re looking exceptionally lovely today. What’s the doctor got on the schedule for you today?”

“Nurse Mellark, it’s so good to see you,” the older woman responded. “What’s wrong, honey?”

“Peeta, ma’am. I’ve told you it’s okay to call me Peeta a hundred times. I love hearing my name roll off your honeyed lips,” he teased.

“And I’ve told you to stop calling me ma’am just as many. I may be old enough to be your mother, but my heart says I’m still young.” Peeta smiled at his patient’s sass. He flipped through the charts on the clipboard at the foot of the bed and tried to ignore the woman’s concern. It didn’t work.

“Now, are you going to tell Mama Seeder what’s wrong, or do I have to worm it out of you?”

“What’s wrong is that your white blood cell count is way too low. I’m gonna need you to work on that for me. I want to see you up and out of this bed as soon as possible. You’ve got those beautiful granddaughters to get home to, now, don’t you?”

“You’re deflecting, Peeta, honey.”

“You’re wonderfully observant, ma’am,” he returned with a wink as he adjusted the pillow behind his patient’s head. “You work on that blood count, and I’ll think about telling you all my secrets. Deal?” Mrs. Seeder’s lips twitched in amusement, and he grinned at her before leaving the room.

“Break time! Race you to the coffee pot,” Finnick announced as he joined Peeta as the nurses’ station.

“I don’t have enough energy to race anywhere, but I’ll walk down there with you. This shift’s been killer.”

“Deal. Long day. Even my beautiful smile has faltered, and that never happens.”

“Poor Finn. How do you stand not being the most gorgeous nurse on the floor?”

“You’ll have to tell me how that feels. You’ve had plenty of practice.”

“Jokes. You’ve got jokes.”

“Shhhh… Annie’s calling. I’ll meet you down there.”

Peeta nodded and stepped onto the elevator by himself. He pulled his phone from his pocket and sighed when saw the blank screen. Nothing from Katniss. He debated sending her a message, but he worried she’d react poorly and think he was bothering her. He hated that he didn’t know anymore, that he had to debate himself before making any decisions regarding his interaction with his girlfriend.

Their relationship used to be easy. They’d met through mutual friends in their late twenties and they’d slowly developed a trust that deepened into a loving relationship. Katniss had been reserved but willing to engage him, and he’d slowly whittled away at her defenses until she responded to his teasing with affection and humor. Once he’d worked up enough courage to ask her out, they’d nurtured a deeply respectful connection that relied on trust and a desperate need for each other.

Until she’d been injured. A few months earlier, Katniss had been in a traffic accident and suffered cracked ribs, a bruised hip, and swelling in her lower back. Some time off her feet helped her recover, but she’d resented Peeta’s hovering as he’d operated as her at-home nurse. Admittedly, he’d gone overboard—something he knew his own patients hated—but he loved her, and he hadn’t been able to stop himself. He was a nurse by profession, and every instinct he possessed was to care for the sick and injured. He couldn’t have, in good conscience, allowed someone else to tend to his girlfriend’s comfort when he already possessed those skills.

Three weeks prior, Katniss started physical therapy to help with soreness and stiffness. They’d made love after her first session, and she’d cried when it was over. Peeta was furious when he’d realized she’d been in pain during the act but hadn’t admitted to any discomfort until he’d found his release. He’d lashed out at her, and she’d rushed from their apartment and refused to come home for several days. Her sister finally called him to tell him he needed to give Katniss space, and he’d reluctantly agreed. When his girlfriend finally returned to their apartment, she greeted him with caution and suspicion. He hadn’t been able to break through her wall since then—especially not in bed. The few times they had been together had been awkward and unfulfilling.

He’d spent a lot of time alone in the shower releasing his own frustrations and longing for Katniss’ companionship. He felt like a creep for thinking about his own desires when the woman he loved was dealing with her own pain and trauma from the accident. He was trying to be patient, and it wasn’t working.

He missed her, and not just her body. He missed the smart, independent, surly, caring, snarky love of his life. He needed her back.

He snapped out of his reverie as his friend entered the room and grimaced at the end of the conversation. “Goodbye, darling. I’ll see you tonight. I love you.” He groaned at Finnick’s revolting display of affection for his wife but laughed when Finn stuck out his tongue. “Sorry, man. Got to keep Annie happy.”

“Yeah, I’m sure it’s all for Annie.” Peeta’s phone vibrated, and he grabbed it quickly. His heart jumped when he saw a message from Katniss but plummeted when he realized what it said.

**Peeta, we need to talk tonight. See you around 8?**

“That can’t be good,” he mumbled. “It can’t be good. Shit.” He flashed the screen toward his friend, and Finnick’s eyebrows rose as he skimmed the message.

“You should go home,” Finnick advised. “Go home, and get yourself prepared for this. That’s a relationship changer if I’ve ever heard one.”

“I can’t leave. My shift’s not over yet,” he protested. He wished he could cut out early, longed to go hide from the world in the comfort of his own home, but that’s not how being an adult worked.

“I’ll cover for you, and you know you haven’t taken a sick day in years. Develop a cough really quickly. Twist your ankle. Do something. This is Katniss we’re talking about. Isn’t she worth fighting for? Go home! Be ready when she gets there.”

Peeta’s gazed flicked back and forth between his phone screen and his friend before he slapped the table and made up his mind. “You’re right, Finn. I’m out of here. If I leave now, I can get there before her. Maybe I can do something romantic—light some candles or something to make it harder for her to dump me.”

Finnick snorted at his friend and waved him away. “She’d be crazy to break up with you. I’ve never seen someone so in love with a woman—except maybe me.”

“Cross your fingers. I’ll let you know how it goes.”

Peeta grabbed his wallet from his locker and headed for the exit. Dread and hope drove him from the hospital and to the subway stop that would take him to his apartment. His stomach twisted as he ran though the various scenarios he thought might emerge from their talk, but the only outcome he could seriously consider was reconciling with the woman he loved and rebuilding what they’d had together before she distanced herself from him.

When the subway ground to a stop, he emerged from the train and up into the frigid evening air. He turned toward his apartment building but stopped after a few steps and reversed directions to the drugstore on the corner. He moved automatically, his mind in a daze, and realized he’d picked out and purchased a bouquet of flowers as he left the shop. If he’d been paying attention, he would have noticed the living room light was on in his place before reaching the door, but instead, he had the key in the lock before he heard the conversation coming from inside.

“Oh, god. Yes, there,” Katniss moaned harshly, and Peeta froze.

“Does that feel good?” a deep, thoroughly masculine voice asked with a grunt.

“It feels amazing,” his girlfriend responded. “Can you go farther? Push harder.”

He stood, cemented to the floor just outside the door, and felt his world shatter. The grunts and groans that reached his ears punched him in the gut and felt like ragged tears in his flesh. Katniss continued to encourage her companion to keep going which caused Peeta to grab his ears and pull in an attempt to block out the sounds.

After a few minutes, his girlfriend released a strangled scream that rocketed through him and jiggled him loose. He slammed open the door with a bang. His face burned, and he felt his blood pressure spike as he saw a dark haired man on the floor in front of the couch with Katniss’ leg hooked over his shoulder. Sweat poured down the man’s face as he stretched and massaged the muscles in her thigh. Peeta’s heart fractured at what he saw and tears clouded his eyes so that he could barely make out his girlfriend’s stricken face when she popped up from the floor to look at him.

“What are you doing home so early?” she gasped as she attempted to disentangle herself from the man on top of her.

“Got off early,” he answered in a clipped voice and couldn’t stop himself from snapping, “Don’t let me stop you from getting off too.”

“Peeta! It’s not what it looks like!” she cried, but he’d already turned his back and marched down the hall to the stairs. He didn’t want to wait for the elevator in case she tried to follow him.

He entered the stairwell just as Katniss’ voice echoed down the hall. “Peeta, wait! Where are you going? Come back!”

If he’d been thinking clearly, he would have realized both his girlfriend and the man she was with were fully clothed. If he hadn’t been so upset, he’d have remembered that he already knew the guy in the room, that he’d met him when he’d taken Katniss to her first physical therapy appointment. If he’d been able to see through the pain, he’d have stopped long enough to see Katniss reach down to pick up the flowers he’d dropped in the doorway and the way she’d buried her nose in the bouquet. If he’d stayed, he could have heard her explanation that she was trying to get better for him, that she’d recovered enough physically that she could focus on her emotional reaction to the wreck and wanted his help through it. If he hadn’t run, he’d know Katniss stilled loved him and so much more.

As it was, he fled. He ran until his lungs burned and he couldn’t breathe and he didn’t recognize his surroundings. He sprinted away from her until the sound of his girlfriend’s voice didn’t ring in his ears. He knew he’d have to face reality eventually, but all he could think about was his escape.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was written for d12drabbles, prompt 16--caught red-handed.

“You look awful.”

Peeta raised his head and stared at his friend. His eyes were bloodshot and the two-day stubble on his jaw made him look haggard and unkempt. His wrinkled scrubs hung on his bowed shoulders, and his hands hung listlessly between his knees.

“I feel awful,” he croaked, his voice catching on the last syllable. Finnick crossed the room and sank down on the cot next to his friend. It was clear to him that Peeta hadn’t been back to his apartment in the two days since he’d run from the image of Katniss with another man.

“You can’t work today, Peet. You’re barely functioning. You can’t be responsible for patients in this state.”

Peeta slumped against the wall and shrugged. “I don’t have anywhere to go. I slept here the past two nights.”

“You know these cots are supposed to be for the nurses who’re working double shifts,” Finnick teased gently.

“I don’t care.” Listless, Peeta picked at the thin blanket and snorted. “I don’t care about anything right now.”

“You haven’t heard from her since you ran out?” Finnick slung his arm around his friend’s shoulder in an attempt to lend comfort.

Peeta blinked a few times, seemingly in an attempt to clear his vision, and shook his head. “She started calling as soon as I ran out. I didn’t answer. My phone’s dead now. I haven’t charged it.”

“Well, that explains why she’s called Annie three times already today.” Wincing at the words, Peeta squeezed his eyes closed. “Peet, you can’t avoid her forever. Call her. Better yet, go home and talk to her. Things can’t get much worse than they already are, can they?”

“Yeah, that’s what you said two days ago, and guess what, Finn. Things got worse. They got a lot worse. They got so much worse that I walked in on Katniss—” His voice broke, and his eyes flooded with tears. After several gulps in an attempt to calm himself, he whispered, “Walked in on Katniss underneath another man.”

“And you ran.”

“Yeah.”

“And she let you go? Didn’t she even try to stop you?”

“No, she came after me.”

“How far?”

“Huh?” Peeta’s eyes narrowed in confusion.

“How far did she follow you?”

He shrugged and answered, “To the stairwell, I guess. I wasn’t really looking back at her.”

“Let me get this straight,” Finnick said. “You saw Katniss with another man, ran, and she followed you into the hall? Naked? There are like twenty other apartments on that floor. She’s not exactly an exhibitionist—not like me. Could you possibly have misunderstood what you thought you saw?”

Silent, Peeta shook his head and scrubbed his eyes with the heels of his palms. “I don’t know, Finn. I don’t know about anything anymore.”

“One last time for the idiot on the cot—go home and talk to your woman, Peet. You’re a zombie, Katniss is frantic, and there’s nothing good to be gained from sleeping on a cot in a hospital with a dead phone battery.”

“Fine!” Peeta snapped. “I need some clean clothes anyway.” He stormed down the hall toward the elevators but stopped short at the last patient room before the corner. Something in his gut told him to make one more stop before facing Katniss.

“Well, hello there, Nurse Mellark. So nice of you to come see Mama Seeder today.”

“Hi, Mrs. Seeder.”

“Peeta, honey, what’s wrong? Where’s my bright-eyed boy?”

“It’s been a rough few days, ma’am. I was just heading home, but I wanted to see how your cell count was.” He flashed her a half smile that failed to reach his eyes. “Have you been taking care of yourself for me?”

“Of course I have, honey,” she said gently. “How are your secrets?”

“Can I tell you tomorrow?”

Mrs. Seeder reached for his hand and clasped it tightly. “Honey, you can tell me anything any time you want. Mama Seeder’s always here for you.”

A tear streaked down his cheek, and he mumbled, “Thank you, Mama Seeder. I’ll see you in a few days.”

He trudged from her room and toward the elevator. His feet felt like lead, and sandpaper scratched his eyes. He said a silent prayer that he’d be able to sleep without nightmares tonight, but he wasn’t too hopeful of that since his love life could be confirmed as a disaster as soon as he faced his girlfriend—or whatever Katniss was to him at this point.

Peeta approached his building with dread and hit the button for his floor before sagging against the elevator wall. He wasn’t sure if Katniss was home, but he’d either be facing her or an empty apartment in only a few minutes. When the elevator opened, he forced himself down the hall and carefully slipped his key into the lock. The door opened to a darkened apartment, despite the sunny day outside. The blinds were drawn and lights were off. For that reason, he almost missed Katniss stirring on the sofa.

“Peeta? Is that you?”

He jumped at her voice and choked out a yes. His heart hurt at how hoarse she sounded. When she sat up, he was shocked to see her swollen face and reddened eyes. His girlfriend had clearly been crying since he’d run from her.

“Where have you been? Why wouldn’t you answer my calls?”

He flinched at the accusation in her tone. In his pain, he hadn’t considered how worried she must have been when she couldn’t contact him.

“The battery died,” he answered without elaboration, biting off the end of each word. He needed an explanation before he was willing to soften any more than he already had.

“I was so worried,” she admitted, her silver eyes holding his blue ones. “I didn’t know where you were, and you—”

“I what? Made you anxious for a little bit?” he spat. “So sad, Katniss. I’m sure that was really horrible for you after what you’ve put me through.”

“I’m so sorry, Peeta. I didn’t mean hurt you.”

“Oh, really? You know, where I come from it’s not so hard not upset someone. You don’t treat them like shit for weeks and then cheat on them in their own home.”

Katniss’ cheeks flushed pink and flared her nostrils. “It’s not what it looked like.”

“I caught you red-handed with another man between your legs!”

“I can explain!” she cried, her voice coated in unshed tears.

“You’re not even going to deny it?” He fumed for several seconds and then his shoulders slumped. He hadn’t imagined it. She really had… He shook his head and stalked down the hallway to their bedroom.

“What are you doing?”

“Packing,” he shot back at her.

“Don’t do this. Please don’t do this. At least let me explain.”

Peeta lurched to a stop when her hand gripped his arm. Deep down he knew it was irrational not to listen to what she had to say, but he couldn’t block out the memory of the moans and grunts he’d heard from Katniss and the dark-haired man who’d he seen caressing his girlfriend’s bare thigh. He jerked his arm away from her touch and pulled a suitcase from the back of their shared closet.

“Talk,” he barked.

She had until he filled the suitcase to convince him. Otherwise, it was over.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was written for d12drabbles, prompt 17--Suitcase

“You’re being unreasonable,” Katniss argued, hurt coloring her voice. “Will you please put that stupid suitcase away and pay attention to me?”

 

Peeta shrugged her hand off his arm and turned to grab a stack of scrubs from the shelf of their closet. He stuffed the clothing into the bottom of the suitcase and pressed down to see how much more room there was that he could fill.

 

“You might want to start explaining instead of telling me what I’m doing wrong,” he snarked at her and ignored the ache in his gut.

 

“Peeta Mellark, stop it! Stop doing this to me—to us!”

 

He stared at her for several seconds before turning his back on her. Unable to stand seeing the pain on her face, he reached for the top drawer where his boxers resided next to her hipsters and boyshorts. His eyes flooded with tears at the intimacy the arrangement suggested. A sob caught in his throat, and he gripped the furniture to hold himself steady.

 

“Peeta?” she ventured to ask, concern for him stronger than her self-preservation. His shoulders shook as he wept, tears streaming down his cheeks in hot rivulets.

 

“How could you?” he whispered.

 

“Sweetheart, please,” she begged.

 

“How could you do this to us? How could you fuck someone else in our apartment? How _dare_ you?” he roared as his voice rose with each question.

 

“ _What_?! That’s why you ran out? You thought I was— You thought we were—” she sputtered. “I didn’t screw him. I didn’t! You’ve got to believe me. I love you!”

 

Furious, he grabbed a handful of their undergarments and threw them at her. “ _If you loved me you wouldn’t have had that guy between your legs!_ ”

 

She stood frozen as her face displayed various emotions. She went from stunned to wounded to indignant in seconds before settling on rage.

 

“He’s a physical therapist, you jackass! You self-righteous, oblivious, infuriating fucker! I’ve known him since we were kids. We were next door neighbors. His younger brother dated my sister for years. He’s like a god damned brother to me, and he promised to help me get better so I could— So we could— You _asshole_! I’ve been trying so hard to get better for you. I wanted to make you happy.”

 

Katniss’ eyes blazed, and her cheeks flamed as she tore into him. Peeta reeled as she yelled. He wanted to believe her so badly, but something in his brain wouldn’t let him accept her explanation yet.

 

“But you were beneath him. Your leg was over his shoulder. He was rubbing your thigh,” he contended angrily. “You were—”

 

“We were fully clothed, you moron!” she shouted and flailed her arms at him. “You were so mad at me the last time we really made love. I was trying so hard to be okay so we could be together, and you got mad at me for not telling you how much I was hurting. I didn’t want to disappoint you again. I couldn’t—I couldn’t take knowing you were upset with me.”

 

He shook his head, still unsure, and mumbled, “You bit my head off every day for months, Katniss. Every time I tried to hold you or kiss you or anything, you pulled away. How was I supposed to know…?”

 

“Because you fell in love with me when I was in a constant state of surliness. You know cynicism is my defense mechanism.” Her voice broke when she admitted, “I didn’t ever think you’d be the reason I lashed out. I thought you’d understand no matter what I threw at you. I always thought you’d see with love instead of the way I really am.”

 

He felt like a horse had kicked him in his stomach. The suitcase lay open and half-full on the bed, and the sight of it made him physically ill. The woman he loved stood in front of him, broken and raw as she confessed her devotion to him. The rage that had fueled him dissipated in seconds, and he wondered what horrible creature had invaded his body when he’d exploded at his girlfriend. A desperate need to make things right flooded through him.

 

“Oh hell, Katniss,” he breathed and stepped toward her with his palms up in surrender. “I’ve been a total… There’s no word bad enough to describe what I’ve been to you. I’m so sorry. Fuck, I’m sorry. Please don’t hate me.”

 

She marched toward him and smacked him hard on his right shoulder. When he flinched, she spat, “Don’t you ever do that to me again, Peeta. I love you with everything I am. I would _never_ be disloyal to you. _NEVER_!”

 

“I know,” he moaned. “I know that. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

 

Her lips were pressed in a firm line and her gray eyes were molten as she glared at him. A wisp of dark hair fell free from her braid and flew across her forehead. He lifted his hand to brush it behind her ear and felt a shock of electricity between them.

 

Peeta fell backward onto the bed when Katniss leapt at him. Her mouth fastened over his, and she tore at the drawstring of his pants. His head banged against his half-filled suitcase, and she shoved it off the bed to smack against the floor.

 

“I love you, you sexy idiot. It’s been hell the past few months knowing that I couldn’t make you happy,” she gasped in breathy moans. “Get your damn pants off and get inside me.”

 

“Babe, are you sure—?” he started, but she interrupted him almost immediately.

 

“Don’t you _ever_ threaten to walk out on me again. I’m burning that damn suitcase. And yes, I’m sure! I’ve worked my ass off to be ready for you again, and you’re not fucking walking out on me without getting me off—even if I am furious with you.”

 

Peeta stared at her for a second before bursting into laughter. She stilled on top of him and narrowed her eyes dangerously.

 

“Don’t be mad, baby. I’m not laughing at you. I’m just…”

 

“Way too overdressed,” she snapped and kissed him hard.

 

Peeta wisely kept his mouth shut and stripped quickly. When he was naked, he reached for her and groaned in the back of his throat at his hands ran over her burning skin. Frantically, she pulled him down on top of her and cradled him between her legs. In seconds, he was inside her and pumping into her furiously as she raked his back with her fingernails and keened her approval in his ear.

 

“Keep going,” she begged when he finally tensed. “I’m okay. You’re not hurting me.”

 

“Kat— Katniss, I can’t— Baby, I can’t wait anymore. Come with me,” he pled. “Oh my god…”

 

She flipped them over and rode him as he throbbed and came inside her. He grunted as relief pulsed through him and watched in fascination as she bobbed and bucked above him. Her cries rose in volume and pitch until she reached her peak and fell over the edge. He urged her to ride out her orgasm and then gathered her tightly against him when she slumped onto the bed.

 

“I love you so much,” he sighed into her hair. “I’ll never do that to you again.”

 

“You better not,” she muttered. A few seconds later, she asked, “Are we going to be okay?” She sounded so worn, she was threadbare.

 

He lifted her mouth to his and covered her lips with his. When they broke apart, he said firmly, “Always.”


End file.
